Daruma dolls are seen as symbols of perseverance and good luck. When acquired, the figure’s eyes are both blank/ white. An owner will then select a goal or wish and paint in one of the figure’s two eyes to “keep an eye on it.” Once the desired goal is achieved the second eye is filled in.

Daruma is also the name of a local sushi restaurant. It moved recently from 42nd Avenue and Fremont Street to 1640 N.E. Killingsworth St. Owner Andy Diaz, originally a broadcast engineer at NYU Law School, had no food background when he opened it.

He had moved to Seattle in 1991, but returned to New York City in 1999. He didn’t stay long. He missed the West Coast and sought a more affordable city here. “I also wanted clean air and access to good food,” Andy beamed. “It’s wonderful here.”

One night, he fell asleep watching “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” The next morning, his real estate agent called to tell him Ristretto Roasters was moving. Andy thought, “That would be a great space for a sushi restaurant.”

Although he did not have much experience in sushi, he jumped right in. Andy has always cheered the underdog.

Daruma Sushi has been open for four years. With the move, Daruma went from a 20-seat restaurant to one that is more obliging and contains 40 seats. At the 42nd Avenue location, he would have to turn away parties of more than four or shut the restaurant to accommodate larger groups.

His staff is good at taking initiative and at being creative. He has given each member of his staff a Daruma doll. “To help them stay focused on their objective,” Andy explained.

His current chef, Devin Jacobson, came into his old location wanting to apply as a waitress. He looked at her resume and was impressed by her experience. Devin is in her late 20s and had been preparing sushi for 10 years.

Andy asked his original chef if Devin could be his assistant. Eventually, after the chef moved to Seattle, Devin was running the sushi board.

Andy soon learned that rice is the most important thing in the restaurant. If the rice is not right he cannot open that day. Undercooked or overcooked rice can ruin good fish.

It’s all trial by fire. He recently added cooked food. Andy would like the kitchen staff to continue to evolve, like his menu and the wishes on the Daruma doll.

Wil Labelle and Manya Wubbold opened Side Door Ceramics Gallery recently. Located at 5001 N.E. 30th Ave., it’s just around the corner from Alberta Street. Photo by Chris Baker

A well-designed, carefully crafted piece of pottery is a joy to hold – and behold. The perfect mug, for example, will not only comfortably contain your morning brew, it will serve as a small piece of art on your shelf.

Wil Labelle and Manya Wubbold of Side Door Ceramics Gallery aim to create household items that do just that.

The two opened the gallery, located at the corner of 30th Avenue and Alberta Street, in January. The 235-square-foot space is lined with shelves of useful objects made from stoneware or porcelain in colors ranging from blues and greens to creams etched in brown.

A pottery wheel, where Wil and Manya often work during business hours, sits behind the front counter.

All are designed and priced for everyday use. “Our prices range from $15 for cups, to $50 for bowls, and $70 to $90 for teapots and more complex projects,” Wil pointed out.

Hanging on one wall is his signature item, tall, narrow to-go mugs – each with a generously-sized handle and a cork plug on top.

“I started doing those because I wanted to change people’s perspective about how they embrace a piece of handmade pottery during the day,” he added. “This piece is meant to leave your safe zone, your castle, and go with you in your coach.”

Although Wil has spent the bulk of his career in the pottery business both as a teacher and maker, Manya came to the craft while teaching Spanish at the university level. Last month she was in North Carolina attending the John C. Campbell Folk School, where she took an intensive course in making large works in porcelain.

They met when Manya was Wil’s student at Georgies Ceramic and Clay Co. on Lombard Street. After a few years as Wil’s student, Manya invited him to share a studio on her property. Two years later, upon learning that the gallery space on Alberta was available, the two decided to go in together. They continue to make the bulk of their products at the private studio and view the gallery as a showroom for their work.

“We both saw this as an opportunity to take our work to the next level,” Wil explained. “It was a way for us to showcase functional pottery that is affordable. “There’s no greater accolade than someone saying, ‘I started using your salt shaker, and I love it.’”

Judith is a freelance writer, who relocated from Massachusetts to Portland in 2016.

Geno Hill’s “not too hot” chili powders are all about adding taste to a variety of dishes. Photo by Marsha Sandman

Concordia resident Geno Hill has a palette for the tasty and the spicy.

His unique “not too hot” chili powder found its origin in his own back yard. Friends and family begged for the leftovers. After he took extra to share with his coworkers at United Parcel Service, they encouraged him to package and sell his chili powder.

Then, five months ago, Geno’s NW Underground Chili Powder was born and introduced on the sidewalks of Concordia and surrounding neighborhoods.

He believes in ”gorilla retail.” You won’t find his product in stores or online. He sets up his display anywhere and just offers tastes to passersby.

You’ll often see him on the Alberta Street sidewalks with a big smile and a case of his chili powders.

“Strange things happen on sidewalks,” Geno reported. His Facebook page bears witness to that statement, with many pictures of satisfied customers. You’ll often find him on Last Thursdays in front of the Alberta Street Gallery.

Geno’s NW Underground Chili Powder also offers free delivery in Portland and Vancouver, as well as free shipping within the US.

Geno says he’s a “tasty” rather than a “foodie.” He believes it’s all about taste, which should enhance flavor rather than cover it up. “My chili makes endorphins jump, is an aphrodisiac, clears the nasal passages and wakes you up,” he said.

He uses African chilies and offers 11 flavors, including raspberry, strawberry and mango. Each is packaged in an aluminum screw top tin that fits conveniently in pocket, purse, or on kitchen shelf – ready to sprinkle on a variety of foods.

He is especially proud of his chili powder in the perfect Bloody Mary.

If you don’t find him on the sidewalks of Alberta Street, reach Geno at 503.477.0533 or StaySpicy503@gmail.com.

After living east, south, north and west, Marsha is home at last. And she wants to hear your story. Contact her at MarshaJSandman@gmail.com.

Peek inside and you will find head chef and owner Jose Verde fastidiously prepping and preparing generous portions of international dishes made with farm fresh ingredients featuring courses with Latin American, South American and Central American roots.

The menu invites you to choose anything from burritos, tacos, short ribs, gyros and pupusas filled with savory ingredients like mushrooms or shrimp. Jose wants people to know his cuisine offers far beyond what the exterior sign says: Taqueria.

“It is food that I personally like from all over,” he said. “I’m not limited to one region or country.”

Jose’s pursuit as a chef began 18 years ago when he cooked at a downtown Portland restaurant. He took the entrepreneurial leap five years ago as head chef starting the first Los Pepitos Locos on North Lombard Street. He created his own menu with a collection all of his favorite international foods.

“I make something different,” Jose said, referring to the unique sauces that accompany his dishes. He suggests people try the big burrito with his special habanero sauce.

In his stuffed papusas, Jose includes loroco, a vine with edible flowers native to Central America. This unique ingredient lures customers in to experience a flavor like no other.

Last year the former Roses property on 42nd caught his eye as a potential space for his second restaurant. The physical layout of the building presented an ideal restaurant space, especially the kitchen adjacent to the dining area.

With spring delivering comfortable outdoor dining weather, Jose was excited to open the patio, where a diner can enjoy a margarita or a fruit smoothie along with one of his international dishes.

Seeing the potential of the space along with the vibrant restaurant community sprouting along the street, Jose couldn’t pass up the opportunity to land the location. And he and his partners opened a third Los Pepitos Locos location merely weeks ago at Burnside and northeast 185th Avenue.

Jose attributes his expanding business to his partners, dedicated staff and customers who keep returning to try another unique dish on the menu. “People really like my food,” he pointed out. “It’s fresh and I’m proud of the team that has come together to staff Los Pepitos Locos.”

Rob is an Oregonian who worked in web marketing for years. Now he’s involved in drone aerial photography – when he’s not on his bike.

No two tortillas at Taco Pedaler may be alike. They’re made by hand, and the other ingredients are locally sourced. Concordia is now home to the second Melanie McClure restaurant in Portland. Photo by Steve Elder

They make the tortillas at Taco Pedaler by hand. One at a time.

The philosophy of the taqueria and bar at 5427 N.E. 42nd is to prepare food by hand, using locally sourced ingredients. Taco Pedaler doles out meaty, vegetarian and vegan tacos; quesadillas; rice and beans; salads; chips; and guacamole. Beer, wine and a full bar are on premises.

“We try to shop locally whenever we can,” said owner Melanie McClure. “We get vegetables from local farmers markets, and eggs, chicken, beef and pork from local producers.”

The restaurant is Melanie’s second brick and mortar location in Portland. Since 2015, she’s had a one at 2225 N.E. Broadway. The 42nd Avenue location is just south of Killingsworth, where Pollo Norte was. There’s a Tibetan food cart next door.

Melanie started out in food service by pedaling, literally. Since 2011, she’s had a fleet of three-wheel cargo bikes. Each tricycle has a grill between two wheels in front of where the passenger/cook sits and pedals. Just Google: taco tricycles.

Melanie is from Silverton and – although she attended community colleges in California and Oregon – she had no formal culinary training. She’s worked in food service from Alaska, down the West Coast to Baja, where she crossed the Gulf of California to Mazatlan and traveled overland south to Belize.

“Everywhere we went heading south we saw tricycle food vendors. I figured it might work in Oregon,” she said. Now she has a fleet of five trikes she sends to parties and street fairs. Three came from Mexico. Two were flown to Portland and one came by rail. Melanie has a young child and lives nearby in the Cully neighborhood.

Taco Pedaler’s Concordia location seats about 25 inside, but considerably more outside in the soon-to-be-heated patio. Plans include a fire pit and children’s play area there. Onsite parking is available.

Both Taco Pedalers are open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. “We want to be a neighborhood hangout,” Melanie said. Visit their website at: https://www.tacopedalerpdx.com

Steve Elder, is an inactive lawyer, a developer, activist and old grouch.

The music is loud, the tables are full and, behind a bar piled high with sky blue cups, the baristas are brewing at full throttle. Meanwhile, in the open kitchen at the back of the house, breakfast, or “brekkie” as it’s called in Australia, is underway.

The original Proud Mary is located in Melbourne, where specialty coffee, restaurant-level food, and table service are de rigueur. CEO Nolan Hirte fell in love with Portland’s vibe while on a West Coast road trip several years ago, and he thought it would be receptive to the Australian way of doing things.

“New faces, excitement around what we do – that’s what drives us,” Nolan said. “In Melbourne, it had been hard to create excitement. This model had been flogged.” Whereas in Portland, he said, “This was a different take on how to roll everything out under one roof.”

The locally sourced menu includes an array of vegetarian choices, but it also includes meaty dishes. “We like to have a few healthy options, but we like to be naughty too,” Nolan explained.

There’s nothing naughty, however, about the way Nolan sources his coffee. While in his twenties, he observed the working conditions at a coffee farm in Bali.

“I got to see firsthand how much work was involved and what their lifestyle and living arrangements were like,” he said. Angered by what he’d observed, the experience left him determined to change the way people think about coffee.

Fostering long-term relationships with its growers, Nolan’s company recently helped a Honduran farmer learn new processing techniques that make the coffee taste more interesting.

As a result, Nolan said, “We pay them quite a lot more money for the processing techniques, and we charge quite a lot more money to the customer.”

While some customers have balked at paying up to $6 for an espresso, Nolan welcomes the opportunity to make them aware of the human price tag behind what they are drinking.

But mostly, Nolan’s lessons are easy to swallow. “Breakfast is not just breakfast. It’s something amazing and special. Our mission is to make products that change the start of your day dramatically, so that there’s no going back.”

He added with a smile, “We’re trying to ruin people.”

Judith is a freelance writer, who relocated from Massachusetts to Portland in 2016.

The art of fashion – and the practice of it – are the specialty of Silhouette Design, Tailoring and Dressmaking in nearby Beaumont-Wilshire. Photo by Karen Wells

A mural inspired by signature fashions of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s momentarily transports the viewer back in time. It’s no coincidence that it adorns a wall of Silhouette Design, Tailoring and Dressmaking.

Julia GaRey, women’s tailor and dressmaker, had been wanting a mural painted on the side of the building for years. She wanted a mural that captured the art of vintage sewing patterns, despite the limited space of the 12-foot eastside wall. Hers is the smallest shop on the block.

Building owner and 30-year Beaumont-Wilshire resident Georjean Melonas was very supportive of the project. She was instrumental in guiding Julia through the permit process with the city and with the Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood Association.

Location: Silhouette, 4225 N.E. Fremont St., at the opening to parking behind the building.Artist: Raziah Roushan has lived in Portland for about seven years. San Diego is her hometown and where she got her start as a muralist. She received her bachelor’s degree in painting from Pacific Northwest College of Art and has more than 20 large-scale murals in her portfolio.

Raziah loves working with clients during the creative process and receiving positive responses from the community. While working on this mural, a 90-yearold resident stopped to watch her work and commented, “I’ve never seen a muralist in action. Fascinating.”

What the mural represents: The art of sewing and signature vintage fashion styles using the mannequin formInstallation: 2016 If you have an off-the-rack garment in need of special attention to make it fabulous, Julia may be able to help. See her work at SilhouetteTailoringStudio.com.

Karen is a retired early childhood community educator, health and safety trainer. Reach her at 619.244.7892.

Randy Sloan’s furniture sales business, A Life Designed, began as a dot-com in 2013. Now it’s expanded to a storefront in the Alberta Arts District. He describes his offerings as “sophisticated man cave.” Photo by Chris Baker

By Tamara Anne Fowler | CNA Media Team

You are sure you hear Frank Sinatra croon “My Way” as you enter furniture store A Life Designed (ALD).

Owner and curator Randy Sloan created ALD 4.5 years ago while living in Scottsdale, Arizona. His style leans toward “sophisticated man cave,” Randy explained. “Martinis, the Rat Pack, low lighting, leather.”
But, when he makes purchases for ALD, Randy does not speculate. He buys only what he loves, what speaks to him. And, as this is the case, many clients find more than one piece to purchase. They all work together.

While Randy was living in Scottsdale, he moved five times within three years. Each time he needed to downsize, and each time he sold his excess items on Craigslist.

During one of those downsizings a husband and wife contacted him. They were buying furniture for their son in Soho. They were scavenging Craigslist for pieces. They were astonished by all that Randy was selling.

“Your taste is exactly what our son loves,” he was told. “Are you an interior designer? You should be.” The couple asked what he would charge for everything: couches, art work, everything. They cleaned him out, packed everything in their trailer and headed off to New York.

ALD started as an online business in 2013 – ALDPDX.com – which thrives to this day. Randy buys a lot from Los Angeles estate sales and people moving.

He has clients in Toronto, Scottsdale and even Tokyo. Shipping alone cost a Tokyo client twice what he paid for a 1950s midcentury modern desk.

Scottsdale was getting expensive and Randy had no real storefront. Coming to Portland, Randy looked in the Pearl, but it would have limited him. “There was no storefront. I would have been selling out of my apartment just like in Scottsdale,” he said.

Randy got on Craigslist. A space had just become available in the Alberta Arts District. He moved in at the tail end of August and opened ALD in September. It’s at 4966 N.E. 14th Ave. Current hours are Mondays – Fridays 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., and evenings and weekends by appointment by calling 360.359.8458.

Now that Randy has his own shop, he has the freedom to add vendors. The inaugural vendor is a candle maker out of Brooklyn, Urban Sundry. The candles emit scents that are unmistakably masculine.

Randy plans to set up gallery showings. He would not take commissions for any of the pieces sold. He would be doing it primarily to share community.

Tamara is Edit Kitten, a writer with 20-plus years of experience offering a softer, gentler approach to editing and coaching. Her personal editors – Armani, Max Factor and Spicey’D – are also her cats. Visit her at EditKitten.com or contact her at Tamara@editkitten.com.

Alex Kurnellas, half of the husband-wife team that owns Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom, said it’s rewarding to become part of this community. Photo by Joel Dippold

Concordia residents just got another great reason to go out and drink beer, with the recent opening of Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom at 2006 N.E. Alberta St.

Imperial features a well-curated selection of bottles and 22 high-quality beers on tap – and two wines, three ciders and even a sake – complemented by an inviting brick-and-wood interior.

The husband-wife team of Alex Kurnellas and Shawn Stackpoole were living in Concordia, right behind Thai Noon, when they decided to open their first business. But in spite of – or because of – the smell of Thai cooking wafting through their windows and the fact that Alex’s father and grandfather had owned restaurants, Alex and Shawn wanted to work in the world of beer.

But they couldn’t find the right retail space in northeast and ended up opening their first shop on southeast Division Street, just as development there was exploding. All those upscale housing developments were good for business but, with the opening of the Alberta taproom, Shawn reported, “It’s nice to be back in the neighborhood.

“One of the rewarding experiences of opening a bar was becoming part of the community,” she said on a recent afternoon and, as if on cue, a customer stopped by the table for a discussion of where to go for the best chicken wings.

Shawn and Alex hope to cement their ties to the northeast community by hosting fundraisers for local school and community groups. Their event at the Division location raised money to buy uniforms for the Cleveland High School marching band.

The tap list also reflects their interest in community, with its emphasis on local: about 75 percent of the beers are local, and there are no imports or beers from the megabreweries. Their ever-evolving tap list is online at ImperialBottleShop. com/alberta.

“It’s pretty amazing what beers can be,” Alex explained. “You look at wine and it’s basically red or white. But with beer, you have a range that’s like the difference between a Chihuahua and a St. Bernard.”

There’s no kitchen, but outside food is actively encouraged. “Thankfully, if you want grab and go, you’ve got so much here,” Shawn said.

And if you like to drink beer, there’s so much to like about Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom.

Joel is a freelance writer and editor who has lived in Concordia since 2000.

Theresia Munywoki, (com)motion manager, and Michael DeMarco, Our 42nd Avenue district manager, have spent countless hours, days, weeks and months getting ready for the movement center’s opening. The building is nearing completion, so stay tuned for the October celebration.

Soon this month, 4520 N.E. 42nd Ave. will be the latest place for people who want to move.

Call it exercise, fitness or movement. Our 42nd Avenue sponsors the new business and calls it “community in motion,” (com)motion for short. The parentheses are silent.

Collaborative efforts between Our 42nd Avenue, Theresia Munywoki and community members are funding the build out. Once open, Theresia will manage the space and oversee its operation while acting as liaison between teachers.

Classes may range from quiet, gentle yoga to the less quiet voguing, Zumba, dance and martial arts. Although no one will be turned away, the emphasis at (com)motion is on teachers and students of diverse backgrounds.

“We want underrepresented teachers to have a place to teach and for underrepresented people to have a place to come to learn,” Theresia explained. “Portland has a shortage of diverse spaces and a shortage of spaces for diverse people.

“So I’m reaching out to teachers of color, body inclusive teachers, teachers with disabilities and queer teachers,” she explained. “This is a place for diverse people to be seen, and to see each other.

“It’s important to make space for that. Our goal is for everyone to think this is a place where they fit in.” A longtime yoga practitioner – and now certified yoga instructor – plus a 16-year veteran of various dance styles, Theresia is enjoying the job.

“I’ve worked as a manager before, but never on a project like this,” she said with a laugh. Now she and business partner Laura Voss are involved with the process from meeting teachers, to inspections, to convening with Nick and Risa Boyer, the builders/owners of Makers Row.

And she’s learned to be patient with delays. “The rain slowed down the beginning of construction. Even the ash impacted us because construction workers were released early a couple of days when the air quality got bad, and when we were nearing completion.”

Makers Row is a three-story project, with (com)motion as one of two businesses – along with Rawdacious Desserts – on the ground floor. Nineteen apartments share the rest of the building.